Perpignan: man in his forties remanded in custody after 60-hectare fire
A 49-year-old man has been placed in pre-trial detention. Investigators accuse him of starting a fire that devastated 60 hectares and threatened the animal shelter.
Perpignan: man in his forties remanded in custody after 60-hectare fire
A 49-year-old man was presented before a judge on Saturday 11 July, after being arrested two days earlier. The magistrate charged him with destruction by fire and ordered his imprisonment pending trial. The suspect spent the night behind bars for the first time that weekend.
The fire started on Thursday 9 July, towards the end of the afternoon, in the Polygone Nord area of Perpignan. The flames spread in the direction of Rivesaltes, ultimately destroying an area of 60 hectares. Civil security services were forced to temporarily block the entrance to Perpignan-Rivesaltes aerodrome. The neighbouring animal shelter was also put at risk by the advance of the fire.
The trail of the alleged perpetrator was established thanks to witness statements. Several individuals told police they had observed suspicious activity and suspected deliberate ignition of the vegetation. The suspect was apprehended at 5 p.m. and taken to the police station. He remained in custody until Saturday.
The offence of setting fire to property, committed using a dangerous method, exposes the perpetrator to a sentence of up to ten years' imprisonment and a fine of 150,000 euros. A thorough investigation was opened to establish the precise circumstances of this incident.
This fire came as part of a wave of fires that struck the Pyrénées-Orientales department over the weekend. Firefighters already tackling the Trévillach blaze were dispatched to other fronts. The majority of these fires resulted from human actions, aggravated by unfavourable weather and an influx of visitors to natural areas.
Source: L'Indépendant
Source: Google News LU FR